Hinge assembly for supporting a fan on a roof

Abstract

A hinge assembly or a flexible hinge assembly adjusts to fit a vent on a wall or a roof in order to hold a fan thereon, which fan is especially suitable for a restaurant roof or wall. The hinge assembly attaches to a roof or wall vent to hold the fan in a proper position, yet permits the fan to be easily moved for cleaning of vent and the fan.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 931,311 filed Jan. 28, 2011, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 657,918 filed Jan. 29, 2010, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 551,285 filed Oct. 20, 2006. All of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a hinge assembly for supporting a fan on a roof and, more particularly, to a buttressed or flexible hinge assembly, which supports the fan on the roof, while providing for an easy cleaning procedure for both the fan and the vent on the roof.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Ventilation is very important in a building. To that end, at least one fan may be installed in order to assist air circulation. In a large building, the fan is required to be quite powerful. This power requirement leads to large and heavy fans. Typically, such a fan is mounted ove...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a buttressed hinge assembly that supports a fan on a roof, and makes it easy to clean both the fan and the vent on the roof. It also simplifies cleaning of a vent for a restaurant and fan.

Problems solved by technology

This power requirement leads to large and heavy fans.

By moving air through the vent, both the vent and the fan will become contaminated.

When a fan or a vent is contaminated, air flow is compromised.

This causes a great deal of stress in the affected area, which leads to equipment breakdown and damage to the fan housing.

These hinge systems are operable only with a small percentage of the fans in use today and cannot be modified to adapt to other fans.

As the fan size increases, movement thereof becomes even more difficult, which further complicates the cleaning process.

The effectiveness of these systems, and in many cases the possibility of installing them at all, is limited by a number of factors including the weight and dimensions of the fan, low grade material and components, which leads to a lack of durability, and a lack of versatility, meaning an inability to adapt to a variety of different situations that may be involved with hinge installation on any given fan.

After a period of use, this vent and the fan become contaminated with that grease.

This basically flammable residue is at least a fire hazard, or worse.

Such residue can also attract undesirable microbes and illness causing bacteria.

The closeness of such contamination to a food source is a clear danger to those food consumers and food handlers, who are at the restaurant.

While the fan is necessary for the vent to work, the fan causes many problems, when the time to clean the vent and the fan comes.

Still, there are many problems with such a cleaning process and the related device.

A first problem is that the fan must be moved, in order to clean the vent.

A properly mounted fan is difficult to move and reinstall properly.

The hinges of the prior art weaken the mounting of the fan, especially if the fan is easily movable.

If the hinge is strong enough to firmly support the fan, the fan is not easily moved, and access to the vent becomes more complicated.

The hinge kits of the prior art are constructed from thin gauge steel and inadequate hardware.

This leads to premature equipment failure and can cause the fan to overextend or even fall off of the duct.

Most hinges cannot support the weight of heavier fans.

These components are the source of a number of problems.

First, those holding devices, especially the chains, have a tendency to fail.

When they do fail, the fan can fall backward violently, damaging the fan and posing an injury risk.

They must be precisely measured and installed, adding a time-consuming factor to the installation process.

Also they are a major inconvenience and obstruction to workers that clean and service the fan.

Yet obtaining adjustability can interfere with both strength and access to both the fan and the vent.

Emphasizing one desired feature can interfere with the other.

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